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BOROUGH PRESIDENT TESTIFIES BEFORE CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ABOUT MAXIMIZING THE ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF THE WEST INDIAN DAY PARADE

I would like to thank Chairman Sanders for the opportunity to present my ideas for maximizing the economic impacts of the West Indian Day Parade.

The Parade has been in Brooklyn since the 1960’s. According to the West Indian American Day Carnival Association, approximately 4 million people participated in the celebration in 2001.

Caribbean Americans comprise nearly 10 percent of Brooklyn’s population, growing 40 percent over the past 10 years alone. Like many new immigrants before them, they have brought new life and vitality to Brooklyn. They have brought with them an entrepreneurial spirit, setting up shops from hair care, to bakeries, to travel agencies. Brooklyn’s Caribbean American’s have also assimilated into professional services such as healthcare, legal, business, government – and politics. They have successfully assimilated without sacrificing their unique cultures, practices or their heritage. In fact, through their celebration of their heritage, Caribbean Americans have enriched the cultural fabric of New York City by sharing this celebration with everyone. The Parade is one of the most unifying events, drawing crowds from all over the world.

The Parade generates significant revenue for the City, but there are more opportunities to maximize the impacts if we collectively harness all available resources. Our task is to make this singular event work for us all year round. We can create different programs that culminate with the Labor Day Parade. There is the potential to do so much more.

Tourism is among my highest priorities for Brooklyn. Tourism is an engine that helps drive economic development, which means jobs and other positive multiplier effects. The Parade is Brooklyn’s, if not the City’s, biggest tourist attraction. In keeping with my priorities, the Parade is a key building block in maximizing tourism. The Parade draws people of all ethnicities, from all over the world. For this one-day only event, people of all Caribbean descent celebrate with their individual country flags, but are united under the banner “West Indian Day Parade.” This is clearly a metaphor for what we all think of as “Brooklyn.” You would have to visit all the islands in the Caribbean to experience what you can experience on this one day.

I am preparing a Tourism Action Plan for Brooklyn with the active participation of cultural institutions, academic institutions and neighborhood and ethnic community organizations to harness their energies through a committee structure. Within this plan, there are three goals that are closely tied to maximizing the impact of the Parade.

First, we need to create tourism friendly neighborhoods and a tourism friendly atmosphere. School programs should ingrain tourism friendly attitudes from child to adulthood; including lessons on Brooklyn’s rich local history so that every resident becomes a default tour guide.

The second part of the action plan is to create a Caribbean Culture Center, which can serve as a focal point for these efforts. Based on discussion with leaders of the Caribbean community, our vision for this cultural center is one that includes opportunities for the performing arts, for a tourism and visitor information center, and for education.

The third part of the action plan is to create a Caribbean Cultural Village, where one could see the carnival in production all year round. Currently, it is very difficult for the groups involved in the Parade to find available space to fit their preparation needs. The Village would include practice space for the bands, eating and drinking establishments, music and dance, and perhaps hotel accommodations. The Village will also serve as a place for participating organizations to host fundraising events.

The Parade is an industry that we need to foster in Brooklyn. The year round preparation for this one day involves many job opportunities. In addition, the facility itself will become a tourist destination and as such it can provide revenue to sustain itself and provide funding for the organizations that participate in the parade – it can become a parade incubator. The public would be welcome and encouraged to come and have a true Caribbean experience, not an artificial Disney World experience.

I believe that the City and my office, working with the City Council and the leadership of the Caribbean community, can make all of this come true.